Scarlett Elizabeth Lopez Alvarez

Ms. Scarlett Elizabeth Lopez Alvarez


Research Focus & Metrics

Academic Career Length

2Years (2025-Present)

(Calculated once Scilit publication data is synced: current year − year of first publication + 1)

Representative Publications

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10 September 2025 in Polymers
Verified
Journal Article
Open access
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SAScarlett Elizabeth Lopez Alvarez
Scarlett Elizabeth Lopez Alvarez
FCFrancois Caton
Francois Caton
DRDenis Roux
Denis Roux
JSJ Felix Armando Soltero
J Felix Armando Soltero
FSFlorian Scholkopf
Florian Scholkopf
LALourdes Monica Bravo Anaya
Lourdes Monica Bravo Anaya
Recent studies on semi-dilute Calf-Thymus DNA (CT-DNA) solutions have revealed the presence of birefringence and small-scale textures influenced by shear and ionic strength. In this study, we investigate these phenomena on the same solutions to elucidate the underlying shear-induced supramolecular organization and relaxation dynamics using rheo-birefringence, rheology, and rheo-SAXS (small-angle X-ray scattering). Static SAXS confirmed concentration-dependent inter-chain correlations in the 15–25 nm range, while rheology revealed a slipping yield-stress behavior. Oscillatory strain sweep and steady state rheo-birefringence experiments correlated the appearance of textures with the onset of flow and a stress plateau observed over a shear rate range from approximately 1 to 1000 s−1. Transient rheo-birefringence and rheo-SAXS revealed two distinct relaxation mechanisms on well-separated time scales: a fast process lasting a few seconds, inversely proportional to the shear rate, consistent with the orientational relaxation of DNA segments on a ~20 nm scale; and a slower relaxation over tens of seconds, independent of the shear rate, associated with the disappearance of textures, and attributed to a diffusive process. These findings provide significant insights into the mechanisms governing DNA organization and dynamics in semi-dilute solutions under flow and highlight the need for temporally resolved start-up rheo-SAXS and rheo-birefringence measurements, as well as theoretical models describing these processes across various spatial and temporal scales.